ISSN: 1525-898XObservations by and for the vaguely disenchanted by Kevin G. Barkes

Conceived above a saloon, delivered into this world by a masked man identified by his heavily sedated mother as Captain Video,
raised by a kindly West Virginian woman, a mild-mannered former reporter with modest delusions of grandeur and no tolerance
of idiots and the intellectually dishonest.

President Bush, after touring the Big Easy, said he was “not
satisfied” with the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina's
devastation.

And U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch predicted there would be hearings on
Capitol Hill over the mishandled operation.

Brown- formerly an estates and family lawyer- this week has has
made several shocking public admissions, including interviews where he
suggested FEMA was unaware of the misery and desperation of refugees
stranded at the New Orleans convention center.

Before joining the Bush administration in 2001, Brown spent 11
years as the commissioner of judges and stewards for the International
Arabian Horse Association, a breeders' and horse-show organization
based in Colorado.

“We do disciplinary actions, certification of (show trial) judges.
We hold classes to train people to become judges and stewards. And we
keep records,” explained a spokeswoman for the IAHA commissioner's
office. “This was his full-time job... for 11 years,” she
added.

Brown was forced out of the position after a spate of lawsuits over
alleged supervision failures.

“He was asked to resign,” Bill Pennington, president of the IAHA
at the time, confirmed last night.

Soon after, Brown was invited to join the administration by his old
Oklahoma college roommate Joseph Allbaugh, the previous head of FEMA
until he quit in 2003 to work for the president's re-election
campaign.

The White House last night defended Brown's appointment. A
spokesman noted Brown served as FEMA deputy director and general
counsel before taking the top job, and that he has now overseen the
response to “more than 164 declared disasters and emergencies,”
including last year's record-setting hurricane season.

So a tearful woman tells Bush, there specifically for a photo op to show what a sympathetic guy he is, that her home has been destroyed and her son needs clothes.

So what does the leader of the richest, most powerful nation on Earth tell her?

"There's a Salvation Army Center that I want you to... we'll tell you where it is. They'll help you."

And later in the clip, it turns out the Salvation Army center to which he's referring was destroyed by the storm. All that's there is a truck dispensing food and water. No clothes. And no federal presence, aside from a clueless moron trying to make himself look like someone who remotely gives a shit.

Now that I know what kind of support I can expect from the federal government during a major crisis, I'm going to drag out my box of Y2K emergency supplies, restock it, and label it my "Bush Box."

I am so filled with blinding fury that it's impossible for me to write.

When Bill Fucking O'Reilly on Fox News is screaming for the administration to do something, you know you're dealing with incompetence on a scale so monumental that it staggers the imagination. For God's sake, Venezuela is offering to send us help. Venezuela! Even after one of our ultra-insane right wing loonies suggested assassinating their president!

What's particularly chilling: just think of all those mean, nasty "eeee-vil" terrorists watching CNN International, and suddenly realizing that the guy in charge is, indeed, all hat and no cattle. That despite the billions spent for Homeland Security, we have babies and grandmas dying in squalor on international television because after four days, our leaders can't seem to figure out how to deliver food and water to the Superdome.

Terrorist attacks? Why bother? Three more years of the Bush administration, and the United States will collapse on its own.

CNN's Anderson Cooper cuts to the chase. Too bad he'll never get a chance to confront Bush, who prefers having softballs lobbed at him by lightweights like Diane Sawyer.

COOPER: Joining me from Baton Rouge is Louisiana Senator Mary
Landrieu. Senator, appreciate you joining us tonight. Does the federal
government bear responsibility for what is happening now? Should they
apologize for what is happening now?

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D), LOUISIANA: Anderson, there will be plenty of
time to discuss all of those issues, about why, and how, and what, and
if. But, Anderson, as you understand, and all of the producers and
directors of CNN, and the news networks, this situation is very
serious and it's going to demand all of our full attention through the
hours, through the nights, through the days.

Let me just say a few things. Thank President Clinton and former
President Bush for their strong statements of support and comfort
today. I thank all the leaders that are coming to Louisiana, and
Mississippi, and Alabama to our help and rescue.

We are grateful for the military assets that are being brought to
bear. I want to thank Senator Frist and Senator Reid for their
extraordinary efforts.

Anderson, tonight, I don't know if you've heard- maybe you all have
announced it- but Congress is going to an unprecedented session to
pass a $10 billion supplemental bill tonight to keep FEMA and the Red
Cross up and operating.

COOPER: Excuse me, Senator, I'm sorry for interrupting. I haven't
heard that, because, for the last four days, I've been seeing dead
bodies in the streets here in Mississippi. And to listen to
politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, you
know, I got to tell you, there are a lot of people here who are very
upset, and very angry, and very frustrated.

And when they hear politicians slap- you know, thanking one another,
it just, you know, it kind of cuts them the wrong way right now,
because literally there was a body on the streets of this town
yesterday being eaten by rats because this woman had been laying in
the street for 48 hours. And there's not enough facilities to take her
up.

Do you get the anger that is out here?

LANDRIEU: Anderson, I have the anger inside of me. Most of the homes
in my family have been destroyed. Our homes have been destroyed. I
understand what you're saying, and I know all of those details. And
the president of the United States knows those details.

COOPER: Well, who are you angry at?

LANDRIEU: I'm not angry at anyone. I'm just expressing that it is so
important for everyone in this nation to pull together, for all
military assets and all assets to be brought to bare in this
situation.

And I have every confidence that this country is as great and as
strong as we can be do to that. And that effort is under way.

COOPER: Well, I mean, there are a lot of people here who are kind of
ashamed of what is happening in this country right now, what is --
ashamed of what is happening in your state, certainly.

And that's not to blame the people who are there. It's a desperate
situation. But I guess, you know, who can- I mean, no one seems to
be taking responsibility.

I mean, I know you say there's a time and a place for, kind of, you
know, looking back, but this seems to be the time and the place. I
mean, there are people who want answers, and there are people who want
someone to stand up and say, "You know what? We should have done more.
Are all the assets being brought to bare?"

LANDRIEU: Anderson, Anderson...

COOPER: I mean, today, for the first time, I'm seeing National Guard
troops in this town.

LANDRIEU: Anderson, I know. And I know where you are. And I know what
you're seeing. Believe me, we know it. And we understand, and there
will be a time to talk about all of that. Trust me.

I know what the people are suffering. The governor knows. The
president knows. The military officials know. And they're trying to do
the very best they can to stabilize the situation.

Senator Vitter, our congressional delegation, all of us understand
what is happening. We are doing our very, very best to get the
situation under control.

But I want to thank the president. He will be here tomorrow, we think.
And the military is sending assets as we speak.

So, please, I understand. You might say I'm a politician, but I grew
up in New Orleans. My father was the mayor of that city. I've
represented that city my whole life, and it's just not New Orleans.
It's St. Bernard, and St. Tammany, and Plaquemines Parish that have
been completely underwater.

Our levee system has failed. We need a lot of help. And the Congress
has been wonderful to help us, and we need more help.

Nobody's perfect, Anderson. Everybody has to stand up here. And I know
you understand. So thank you so much for everything you're doing.

COOPER: Well, I appreciate you joining us on the program tonight. I
can only imagine how busy you are. Thank you very much, Senator
Landrieu.

LANDRIEU: Thank you, Anderson. Thank you so much. Thank you.

COOPER: And good luck to you and all the people working to solve this
problem. Because, at this point, it is very hard to try to figure our
how this problem is going to get solved.

Yeah, the poor, the elderly, the infants and the infirm tolerated the wickedness in New Orleans and must suffer. Mississippi, Alabama and Florida? Just collateral damage. And folks, these are red states.

"Christian fundamentalism is the doctrine that there is an absolutely powerful, infinitely knowledgeable, universe-spanning entity that is deeply and personally concerned about my sex life.&quot
Andrew Lias

Press Release
ACT OF GOD DESTROYS NEW ORLEANS
DAYS BEFORE “SOUTHERN DECADENCE” 8/31/05

PHILADELPHIA- Just days before “Southern Decadence” an annual homosexual
celebration attracting tens of thousands of people to the French Quarters
section of New Orleans, an act of God destroys the city.

“Southern Decadence” has a history of filling the French Quarters section
of the city with drunken homosexuals engaging in sex acts in the public
streets and bars. Last year, a local pastor sent video footage of sex acts
being performed in front of police to the mayor, city council, and the
media. City officials simply ignored the footage and continued to welcome
and praise the weeklong celebration as being an “exciting event.” However,
Hurricane Katrina has put an end to the annual celebration of sin.

On the official “Southern Decadence” website (www.SouthernDecadence.com),
it states that the annual event brought in “125,000 revelers” to New
Orleans last year, increasing by thousands each year, and up from “over
50,000 revelers” in 1997. This year's 34th annual “Southern Decadence” was
set for Wednesday, August 31, 2005 through Monday, September 5, 2005, but
due to massive flooding and the damage left by the hurricane, Louisiana
Governor Kathleen Blanco has ordered everyone to evacuate the city.

The past three mayors of New Orleans, including Sidney Barthelomew, Marc H.
Morial, and C. Ray Nagin, issued official proclamations welcoming visitors
to “Southern Decadence.” Additionally, New Orleans City Council made other
proclamations recognizing the annual homosexual celebration.

“Although the loss of lives is deeply saddening, this act of God destroyed
a wicked city,” stated Repent America director Michael Marcavage. “From
'Girls Gone Wild' to 'Southern Decadence', New Orleans was a city that had
its doors wide open to the public celebration of sin. May it never be the
same,” he continued.

New Orleans is also known for its Mardi Gras parties where thousands of
drunken men revel in the streets to exchange plastic jewelry for drunken
women to expose their breasts. This annual event sparked the creation of
the “Girls Gone Wild” video series.

“Let us pray for those ravaged by this disaster. However, we must not
forget that the citizens of New Orleans tolerated and welcomed the
wickedness in their city for so long,” Marcavage said. “May this act of God
cause us all to think about what we tolerate in our city limits, and bring
us trembling before the throne of Almighty God,” Marcavage concluded.

Although the newspaper can't produce any print editions, it's regularly updating its breaking news page with important information. They generally have stuff hours before it shows up on the AP wire or on cable/broadcast news.

These folks are undoubtedly going to end up with a Pulitzer for their herculean efforts in covering the disaster.

Late Tuesday, Gov. Blanco spokeswoman Denise Bottcher described a disturbing scene unfolding in uptown New Orleans, where looters were trying to break into Children's Hospital.

Bottcher said the director of the hospital fears for the safety of the staff and the 100 kids inside the hospital. The director said the hospital is locked, but that the looters were trying to break in and had gathered outside the facility.

The director has sought help from the police, but, due to rising flood waters, police have not been able to respond.

Bottcher said Blanco has been told of the situation and has informed the National Guard. However, Bottcher said, the National Guard has also been unable to respond.

Yet after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA dropped to a
trickle. The [Army] Corps [of Engineers] never tried to hide the fact that the spending
pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security- coming
at the same time as federal tax cuts- was the reason for the
strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and
2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of
hurricane and flood-control dollars.

In early 2004, as the cost of the conflict in Iraq soared, President
Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps
said
was needed for Lake Pontchartrain, according to a Feb. 16, 2004,
article, in New Orleans CityBusiness.

On June 8, 2004, Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; told the Times-Picayune: “It appears
that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle
homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price
we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can't be finished,
and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a
security issue for us.”

Also that June, with the 2004 hurricane season starting, the Corps'
project manager Al Naomi went before a local agency, the East
Jefferson Levee Authority, and essentially begged for $2 million for
urgent work that Washington was now unable to pay for. From the June
18, 2004 Times-Picayune:

“The system is in great shape, but the levees are sinking. Everything
is sinking, and if we don't get the money fast enough to raise them,
then we can't stay ahead of the settlement,” he said. “The problem
that we have isn't that the levee is low, but that the federal funds
have dried up so that we can't raise them.”

The panel authorized that money, and on July 1, 2004, it had to pony
up another $250,000 when it learned that stretches of the levee in
Metairie had sunk by four feet. The agency had to pay for the work
with higher property taxes. The levee board noted in October 2004
that the feds were also now not paying for a hoped-for $15 million
project to better shore up the banks of Lake Pontchartrain.

The 2004 hurricane season was the worst in decades. In spite of that,
the federal government came back this spring with the steepest
reduction in hurricane and flood-control funding for New Orleans in
history. Because of the proposed cuts, the Corps office there imposed
a hiring freeze. Officials said that money targeted for the SELA
project- $10.4 million, down from $36.5 million- was not enough
to start any new jobs.
In early 2004, as the cost of the conflict in Iraq soared, President
Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps said
was needed for Lake Pontchartrain, according to a Feb. 16, 2004,
article, in New Orleans CityBusiness.

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT
LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL
FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.
PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED
LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW
RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND
ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A FEW
TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH
AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY
VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE
ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE
WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN
AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING
INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY
THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW
CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE
KILLED.